SOCCER NATION EXPO 2011 SHAKES UP LONG BEACH!

February 17, 2011

February 17, 2011 (Long Beach, CA) - Soccer Nation Expo, Cal South's annual celebration of all things soccer, was a solid success over this past weekend. More than 12,000 soccer players, parents, coaches, referees, administrators and fans of the game made their way to the Long Beach Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 12-13, for the free event. Soccer Nation Expo continued its streak as the largest and best attended soccer show in the U.S., with fans and VIP Coaches arriving from
as far away as Canada.

Soccer Nation Expo was a hit in its first edition at the Long Beach location. Greatly exciting the families attending the show were a large number of highly interactive areas that each drew a constant stream of participants over the weekend. Sports Authority, Chivas USA and LA Galaxy all featured game space for individual and team play. Kick for the Cure for Duchenne brought out its human foosball court which proved endlessly popular with the younger set. Futboleros made a big splash with their
Ultimate Soccer Arena and freestyle competitions. The Kohl's recreational clinic area gave rec kids and coaches the opportunity to learn directly from Cal South's Coaching Education staff.

VIP coaches were treated to an outstanding series of field and classroom sessions from a wide range of international and American clinicians. Notre Dame's Women's Head Coach Randy Waldrum, Tony Waiters from NSCAA, Federation Mexicana de Futbol Goalkeeper Trainer Fernando Piña Rivera, former Mexican National Team Head Coach Efraín Flores, James Parry of Fulham FC, Ralph Perez of the University of Redlands, and Klaus Pabst of FC Cologne all conducted sessions in front of packed
VIP seating areas throughout the weekend.

Also firing up the crowds were appearances by numerous professional players, many of whom signed autographs at the show, including Galaxy players Donovan Ricketts, Omar Gonzalez and Josh Saunders. U.S. National Team star and Galaxy forward Landon Donovan also made an appearance for a special Q&A session hosted by Cal South sponsor Nike.

In addition to the exhibition action, Cal South convened its Annual General Meeting in conjunction with the event. Elections for the Cal South Board of Directors and the approval of the recently revised Cal South Bylaws were the highlights of the meeting. In total, 54 registered Cal South leagues and clubs were credentialed and on hand to vote. The Bylaw revisions were unanimously approved (click here to
see revisions). Board election results included Derek Barraza as the new Executive Vice President and Mark Flahan as the new District 1 Commissioner. District 3 Commissioner Sue Abadie, District 5 Commissioner Rick McCown and District 7 Commissioner Rick Velasco were reappointed by acclamation, as were Treasurer Ken Goldman and Vice President of Youth Roy Carlson.

Preparations are already under way for Soccer Nation Expo 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 25 and 26. Details on the show will be announced throughout the year on both www.CalSouth.com and the event's main website, www.SoccerNationExpo.com.